One possible outcome of the war between the music industry and the rest of the world is the realization that some forms of property cannot be owned in any reasonable sense. Since music can now be copied and distributed world wide at essentially zero cost with no way to track the transaction, the owners of the recording lose control of it after the first copy has been sold, or even sooner. The result can potentially be the inability for the recording company and artist to profit from their effort or even to recover their losses regardless of how popular the recording is. One reaction to that situation would be to lament the fate of the starving musician who is being deprived of his livelihood because of a bunch of unscrupulous and greedy internet music fans. Another reaction is to cheer loudly for the demise of the unscrupulous and greedy music industry that has exploited both musicians and the public for decades. But to get a firm grasp on the issue you need to ask the question, "What would the world be like if all music was free?". Only then can you start to make sense of the issues at hand.

Free music means that things are going to change through the entire music industry, and the changes will be big. The most obvious change will be a dramatic reduction in the amount of effort put into the production of new music. Profitability from CD sales will drop to essentially zero. Since these profits are used for promotion, marketing, and live touring expenses there will be a similar reduction of effort in those areas as well. Considering this it might appear that the music industry would disappear altogether, but this would not be the case. There will still be demands for music, it's just that the demands will be greatly reduced and focused on different areas. Movie soundtracks will still benefit from original music as well as television programs, advertisements, and other forms of commercial media. Profit from these sources will cover the recording costs. Furthermore, young people will still demand music, even if they are unwilling to pay a lot for it, and with that demand will go the potential for profiting by supplying the market.

But by far the biggest change will be the elimination of the rock superstar. Looking back at the absurdities inflicted on the public by these musical icons their disappearance would be a welcome relief. Free music would prevent any single recording artist from generating ridiculous amounts of wealth from a single recording and thus the overnight sensation and the over-promotion and excessive marketing efforts that saturate the media would be gone. This should all pave the way for the professional pop/rock/rap/etc. musician, that is, one who gets paid a reasonable salary to perform music. The concept of a professional musician is hardly new, but in the field of popular music it is something that seems almost unheard of. The stereotype of the musician who works at Guitar Center or McDonalds to pay for his band's expenses while struggling to be discovered is fairly common. It's also a terrible career path, but the promise of great wealth and fame keeps young people chasing the dream for as long as their money holds out. Another downside to the current system is that good musicianship and good song writing don't necessarily go hand in hand. Good musicians with mundane material often end up forgotten while poor musicians who have written catchy hits make the big time. The need for ownership of music can often prevent the best musicians from playing the best songs.

In a world where music is free, the musician would be a paid performer. Musicians would record music for soundtracks, commercials, etc. on a contractual basis just like any other professional. Musicians would also play live music from a selection of any songs that they wanted to play or the audience wanted to hear. Also, they would generally be some of the best singers and players available, or at least those with a style or character that the audience prefers. In other words, popular musicians would earn a living just like musicians in every other genre, with their skill. The field would become more respectable, and by that I mean the focus would be more on the music and less on the image of the performers, not that the musicians themselves would end necessarily end up respectable.

Also in a world where music is free, the focus on song writing would also shift away from writing something popular towards writing something with personal meaning. Not that I think that all popular music is empty and meaningless, but it has to be pointed out that the music industry as it stands today greatly benefits from promoting music that matches other popular songs and acts. This fact alone has a far reaching effect on song writing at all levels. If the goal of the artist shifts from capturing his or her emotions in song towards composing a song that will become a "hit", something is lost. With the financial incentive reduced, I think that song writing will tend more towards a passionate act of creation rather than selling out as a matter of necessity or desire. And perhaps the general public will have more opportunities to hear those songs crafted from passion in a world where music is free.